Lean On
by beezyland
Summary: "Lauren was all up on you and your eyes and camera were all up on Payson…" Max cuts him off with a laugh, sure to add, "And Emily is the one you got dibs on." Wait…what? Austin/Max friendship AusEm Post-New Normal


Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not even the shoes on my feet. I stole them…but I wouldn't steal fics or fic ideas because that's horrible! Just sparkly shoes…don't listen to me. Le sigh. I should really let my writing do the talking.

A/N: TYUMPH! All my Austin/Emily shipper friends! Did you see the new episode? Because I think Austin/Emily got the most interaction time or maybe I just paid more attention to their parts than the others. The vampire dream was odd. I would have rather seen a post-apocalyptic dream where Kaylie had to outrun a volcano, like, how she's running from her issues, but shit is going to eventually catch up with her, burn her and needs to pop her bubble and wake her up. Gets me? Okay, shutting up now.

A/N2: Also for an official name for our favorite ship, I'm thinking **AusEm**, you know, like Team A_wesome_. Take it or toss it back? Help me out here.

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**-XX-**

**Lean On**

For a kid with camera lenses for eyes, Max is cool. He's Austin's bro, his designated wingman. Especially when Austin went through his "bad boy" phase, King of the World, No One Can Touch Me Cuz I Wear Gold Bitches phase, Max was there to smack him across the head, call him an idiot and drive him to the hospital if need be. Also, besides an eye for light, Max has a knack for seeing what others can't. That's why that one conversation they had keeps replaying and replaying, over and over like a broken record in Austin's head.

"So this means you're choosing the Rock right?"

Max chuckles. "Someone's eager." Sitting on the balcony of the hotel suite they're sharing, Max looks away from the camera in his lap (flipping through his dozens of stalker pictures of Payson no doubt) and out at their view of the city. "Damn, Austin, you know how much I love skyscrapers. Boulder doesn't have any of those, right?"

Austin scoffs. "Yeah, but we aren't talking _that_ kind of scenery. You know the view of the Rock Rebels is better at the Rock."

The pretty boy photographer laughs again. "Man, I was kidding with the buildings. Choosing a gym to train at is supposed to be serious and more than based on who has the hotter, longer legs in the leos, but apparently, you don't ever change do you?"

"Hey. I resent that," Austin says, adjusting his sunglasses. "I did tack on _reformed_ to my 'bad boy' label. Thank you very much."

"Uh-huh." Max looks back down at his camera again, fiddling with the settings.

"But you have to admit you'd be missing out if you did choose Denver over the Rock," Austin says, "After all, Lauren was all up on you and your eyes and camera were all up on Payson…"

Max then cuts him off with a laugh, sure to add, "And Emily is the one you got dibs on."

Austin freezes. Wait…what?

"No idea what you mean."

"I could sense your energy," Max says, clearly teasing. For some reason, with Austin, it makes him uncomfortable. "Clear, primal me-Tarzan-her-Jane Max-step-off energy. I know a non-verbal cue when I see one. It's cool. Payson…now she's something. I might have to think harder about this. Having Payson Keeler practicing, under florescent gym lighting, I might never put down the camera. Then where'd that leave me, huh? Runner up to Austin Tucker yet again."

Max laughs again and he's smoothly transitioned to a new topic, but Austin is still stuck on the last one. Austin thinks that maybe if he ever told Max about Kaylie he'd think differently, but to bring up something so heavy in their downtime, right now, isn't something he's about to do. Plus, Austin's a little…curious.

"But it isn't like that. Emily and I are just…friends."

"Which I still find strange, by the way," Max says distractedly. "No offense, Austin, but you never take things slow with girls."

True statement. Austin didn't even know Emily when they were hugging in Paris just to be caught by Ellen Beals. Does he even really know Kaylie? He did tell her that he thinks he's falling for her, in front of her parents no less (nice one Tucker) but even that escalated faster than it should have and now he's distancing himself from her. Should be do the same with Emily? It scares him, realizing the idea of distancing himself from Emily really bothers him.

"Austin, did you hear what I just said?"

"Huh?"

"I said I think it's a good thing that you're taking things slow with Emily. It's not your style, but I think it'd be good for you," Max says. He's still running with his assumption, but Austin doesn't try to stop him either. "Who knows? Maybe she'll be the reason that 'reformed' actually sticks to the bad boy.' "

Austin doesn't know what to say so he doesn't say anything. They just sit there and take it all in.

"Maybe it'd be a good thing if you did go to Denver Elite," Austin murmurs.

Max looks away from his camera and lifts his brows. "Really? Why are you changing your tune now?"

"Because you make me think and I hate that," Austin grunts, gently shoving his friend. Max laughs again and then they both go back inside to get ready as to not be late for breakfast and the concluding ceremony of the exhibition.

Later that night, when the festivities have died down some, but the afterparty is still going strong (he ducked out when Lauren and Kelly Parker started Dance Off Round 2), Austin spots a familiar figure sitting alone at the hotel pool's edge and sure enough it's one of his favorite Rock Rebels.

"I've never worn one myself, but something tells me trying to drown the ankle bracelet might kill it, but will just get you into a deeper hole with that charming P.O. of yours," Austin calls out to her.

Emily turns at the sound of his voice and smiles softly. "I figured as much."

Austin kicks off his shoes and sits beside her. He sees the way she has one foot, her free foot, dangling in the pool. The knee of her other leg is pulled tight to her chest, keeping the device on her ankle safe and dry.

"So what are you doing out here?" he asks.

"Enjoying the quiet," Emily says. "Things got a little crowded at the afterparty."

Austin nods his head, wiggling his toes beneath the water and tilting his head up to look at the dark, cloudless sky.

"So—"

"No, Austin, I haven't talked to Kaylie."

"I wasn't going to ask about Kaylie."

"Really?" she asks, looking genuinely surprised, but mostly skeptical. "Because other than telling me to grow up, all we ever talk about is Kaylie."

Austin blinks. "We do?"

Her foot sways under the water and when her toes accidently grazes his, Austin gets that strange feeling in his gut, one he seems to get more and more with how much time he spends with Emily. That feeling is what usually leads him to asking about Kaylie, to keep him grounded in reality, focused on what he should be focused on, the girl in rehab, and not have to think about what this means. After talking to Max this morning, the feeling seems to have grown more obvious.

Not looking affected one bit, Emily gazes out across the empty pool area. Softly, she assures him, "It's cool though. I'm worried about her too and I can see how much you care about her. It's sweet."

She touches the back of his hand, a friendly gesture, no doubt, but it feels different to him. Now. Austin tries to think back to all the time they've touched and how it never really meant anything than the fact that they had each other to lean on. So why is it different now? Damn Max.

"I think," Emily sighs loudly, "I think, eventually, everything is going to be okay for all of us."

His eyes widen as he turns his head to face her. "You? Emily Kmetko? You're saying _everything is going to be okay_? I never thought I'd ever hear those words come out of your mouth. Sorry. Can you say it again? Let me just pull out my phone so we can record it."

Austin pretends to reach into his pocket and Emily playfully shoves his hand away. Again with the touching. He's so hyperaware of every time her skin brushes his and now he's starting to notice how her skin is as soft as that smile on her face. Damn Max _again_.

Emily's face grows serious. She asks, "So how'd your visit with Kaylie go?"

Then comes the guilt because Emily is worried about Kaylie and Kaylie is fighting treatment at a rehabilitation center and here he is thinking about what it'd feel like to have his fingers between Emily's. His mind goes back to that visit, how hopeful she had looked when she said she was falling for him too, how quick she took it back. She's been holding on to the fantasy of them being together and as hard as it was to cut her off from it, Austin knew he had to. It was the one thing keeping her from seeing what was right in front of her, which is all she needs right now. To come to terms with reality and to heal.

"You don't need to say anything if it's too soon," Emily says.

"No. I should. Keeping it to myself is driving me crazy," Austin confesses. Emily has always been his go-to in Boulder. She's the only one who knows about his past and his feelings and stuff. She keeps it like every conversation is a secret just between them two and that's really cool. "We can't be together. Not right now."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm just going to get in the way. I can't be the white knight that rides in and saves her. She has to step up and save herself," Austin explains. "I…I made that mistake before, with my sister. I thought I could help, but then she started depending on me to feel okay like she depended on starving to keep up her warped view of 'okay' and it wasn't. It started to weigh down on me and we nearly destroyed each other. I can't. Not again. Especially with Kaylie."

Now Emily's hand is on his shoulder, but Austin doesn't let his mind wander. He doesn't let himself believe there are hidden messages in the way her fingertips rub small circles against his tight muscle. It is what it is. He is her shoulder. She is his. And that's all.

"I like talking to you," Austin says after a long pause. Maybe it's being around Max, having dude time for once in a long time, that makes having a vulnerable moment with a girl feel extremely uncomfortable, but then he sees Emily smile at him and he's over it fairly quickly.

She laughs and it lightens the mood by tenfold. "What? You and Max don't do the girl talk thing? I am shocked."

"Oh, we have our fair share. Pillow fights too," he jokes back. Going from talking about something so heavy to something so light reminds him why this girl is his designated secret keeper. "Though these days Max is a little busy taking stalker pictures of Payson and trying to avoid getting raped by Lauren."

Emily laughs then even if that last part wasn't a joke.

Her foot touches his again beneath the water. Those little electrically charged feeling things that jolt through him really need to fuck off.

Less vulnerable, but still as soft, Austin asks, "We're good together, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Emily answers quickly. She pauses, looking so deep in thought before she goes on, "A defensive street rat learning life lessons from a reformed bad boy. Then in return the reformed bad boy gets to vent about his pent up girly angst to said sidekick street rat."

"Well, when you put it like that…"

"Are you offended?" she asks.

"Nah." Austin shrugs. "I think we should get our own camera crew and turn it into a reality show."

She rolls her eyes, but he can tell she's amuse. "Seriously though, I know I've been pessimistic lately…or maybe as long as we've known each other and it sounds dramatic and kinda lame, but…I really do think we'll be okay. You. Me. Kaylie. Sasha, wherever he is. Even Lauren and Payson and Max and all that weirdness. We'll all be okay."

"I feel a little tingly every time you say it," Austin says. That one he can't really distinguish if it's his lighthearted humor or him being serious. Emily takes it as the former and laughs again. She really does have a nice-sounding laugh. "So we're good and we should stay like this, right?"

"Of course," Emily says. "If you wouldn't mind being my shoulder again. Um, despite what I said before, you're actually a really great shoulder and a really great friend. I couldn't imagine it any other way."

"Aww, Kmetko's getting sappy on me," Austin teases. "And I accept on one condition. We don't cry on each other's shoulders."

Emily nods eagerly. "Just lean."

"Cool," Austin says. "And just be careful around Max. He tends to get a little possessive of me."

"Oh, I sensed that immediately," Emily nods along, "You being BFF with your pillow fights and all."

"Exactly," Austin agrees. He then leans in closer to her, still grinning. "But you're secretly my favorite."

"Wow," she laughs, "I'm so flattered."

"Oh, you so should be."

Maybe there is some truth to what Max said and those camera lens-like eyes of his do pick up on little things the general public would rather ignore. But at this point, with him and Kaylie and their thing and Emily and Kaylie and their friendship, all the unresolved, unspoken issues still there, if anything, Max has to be zooming into the future, ahead of the rest like always.

For now, instead making a move like he normally would, Austin just kicks water at Emily and smiles.

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A/N: It was a quickie, but a celebratory quickie. Stand up _AusEm_ fans, tell me I'm not crazy for wanting these two together! Review, pretties, and I'll most likely do more. I'm in love. I even changed my profile picture to Mr. & Mrs. Awesome on Lolita. I'm hopelessly devoted. Are you?

xoxo


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